2009 Spring Scream travel guide

WHEN:Tonight until Sunday. Doors open at 3pm today; the music starts at 5pm tonight, 1pm tomorrow and Sunday. Shows run until midnight every night

ON THE NET:

www.springscream.com

TICKETS

Contrary to recent rumors, Spring Scream has not sold out of tickets and is not likely to do so. Tickets are available at the door and Family Mart convenience stores (全家便利商店) through Sunday. Prices are NT$1,790 for a three-day pass; NT$990 for tonight only, NT$1,190 in advance for Saturday (NT$1,290 day of the show) and NT$490 in advance for Sunday (NT$590 day of the show). You must purchase a three-day pass to use the campgrounds.

THE ‘REAL’ SPRING SCREAM

There will be parties all throughout the Kenting and Hengchun area; one party in Kenting even bears the name that translates as “Kenting Scream Spring Party” (墾丁吶喊春天派對). The original, official Spring Scream (春天吶喊2009) takes place at one location — Oluanpi Lighthouse National Park (鵝鑾鼻燈塔公園). If that’s where you want to be, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

GETTING THERE

Spring Scream’s chartered buses direct to Oluanpi are already full. On public transport, a fast way to travel for groups of three or four persons is to take the Taiwan High Speed Rail (www.thsrc.com.tw, (02) 6626-8000) to Kaohsiung’s Zuoying Station (高鐵左營車站) and then share a taxi to the Spring Scream site at Oluanpi Lighthouse National Park (鵝鑾鼻燈塔公園). The Taiwan Railway Administration (www.railway.gov.tw/en/index/index.aspx, (02) 2381-5226) also offers trains services to Kaohsiung, and buses run from Kaohsiung to Kenting from both train stations.

From Kenting, public buses leave for Oluanpi every hour. There is a bus stop near the McDonald’s and 7-Eleven.

Expect heavy traffic if you’re driving. According to the organizers, last year it took more than 3 hours to travel the short distance from Hengchun to Oluanpi by car during the day. The organizers highly recommend an alternative route, which starts east of Hengchun and passes through Qiaotou Road (橋頭路) and Jiae Highway (佳鵝公路). See the “traffic” section of the festival’s Web site for a map or visit www.springscream.com/doc.php?id=77. Consider late evening or early morning travel to avoid traffic snarls.

WHAT TO BRING

SUNSCREEN AND HAT: Err on the safe side when it comes to protecting yourself from the sun.

COMFORTABLE SHOES:A must, as you’ll likely be walking back and forth between eight different stages, which are spread throughout the park. Most of the food vendors are located at the entrance, while the campground is located at the far end of the park, approximately 500m away.

FLASHLIGHT:Useful for walking along the paths between stages in the evening and pitching a tent when it’s dark.

CASH: For food, merchandise and drinks available in the park grounds. There are no nearby ATMs.

SWIMMING ATTIRE: The hotel neighboring the park grounds has a swimming pool. There is also a beach near the park.

TOILETRIES:Shower and restroom facilities are located at the campground.

Acoustic guitar, ukulele, kazoo, etc: What’s an evening of camping without a sing-a-long or a jam?

Sleeping bag and tent: See below.

ACCOMMODATIONS

As of press time, the Uni-President Hotel (墾丁統一渡假村, (08) 885-1078) located at Oluanpi Lighthouse National Park has a limited number of rooms left. The Kenting and Hengchun areas also offer accommodation, but prepare to pay high-season prices.